The Tale of Two Avatars
by Kaye.Kilowatt
Summary: Zuko was in search of the Avatar, so he went to the Water Tribes. Aang, trapped in the iceberg, his heart stops for only a few minutes, but it's just long enough for the Avatar to be reborn into the Northern Water Tribe. Zuko/OC
1. Captured

**Hello everyone, thanks for deciding to take the time to read this. =] I worked pretty hard on it. **

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender, I only own 'Merleawe' the other character in this.**

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**Avatar Merleawe**

It was an uneasy night for the Northern Water Tribe. A lunar eclipse threatened the village with its lack of waterbending, leaving them nearly defenseless. They made due though. The fire nation usually left them alone. A wail could be heard in the local spring. A mother, Yuna, was about to give birth.

_Though in an iceberg, trapped beneath the cold, a boy lied, frozen in his Avatar state. For eighty five years, he'd been trapped in ice. Though for so long, he'd been warmth deprived and without much air. His heart stopped. _

A cry ran out in the warmth of the spring. White hair filled the head of the abnormally pale child. Most other people in the water tribes were perfectly tan. A new Avatar had been born.

_But the boy's heart sprang to life once more. What had triggered him to live again?_

Now it's been twleve long years, and the young girl, Merleawe, had been crowned princess of the water tribe. The fire nation had come looking for her many times, but disguised as a male, Merleawe became safe. Being the Avatar, she had already mastered waterbending and airbending already, thanks to the traveling air nomads. They came seeking shelter from the attacking fire nation. They taught the girl as payment, though it wasn't necessary

So here we are in our story. Present time and Merleawe is her happy self. White long hair, bundled into a cap to protect her identity. Bright blue hues shone through her long bangs, hanging down from her newsboy style hat, worn more towards the back of her head. She was practicing her bending in a nearby stream. Of course, it was quite cold, freezing actually, but Merleawe could get over it. Upon hearing footsteps, she turned abruptly, only to be held in place by strong hands. Her own were tied behind her back, and her arms to her side.

**"**Name.**"** His voice was harsh, like a guard ordering his men. She couldn't even see his face due to the cloth that he tied around her eyes. Thank goodness that she was wearing her hat. **"**Answer me!" He said again.

**"**Melle**.****"** The girl answered, scared for her life. The sound that came from her throat sounded cracked, and upset. The young, twelve year old Avatar was quite scared. She'd only found out about her duties a month prior, due to the war…

As the male flung her over his shoulder, Merleawe felt a tear well up in her covered eyes. "What's going on?!" She screamed out of both confusion and terror. The sharp, cold feel of fire navy armour touched her skin, cutting it slightly. This person couldn't know who she was, right?

**"**You're the Avatar. I've finally found you.**"** Merleawe felt herself being thrown to the ground, her bottom hitting the hard, cold snow. She could hear her name in hushed tones, along with her cover name being shouted. The villagers were obviously scared for the girl, as was she. Her arms were untied along with her hands, she didn't dare attack though. Maybe things would be better than she thought.

Her left wrist was forcefully grabbed by what felt to be the same man. She could already feel the bruising. Merleawe was dragged towards something. In the village, people were blocked from entry by the barricade of Fire Nation soldiers.

**"**I'll make sure to inform my father on your excellent hospitality. He'll be most pleased.**"** The male had announced the lines to the people of the Water Tribe. Apparently they didn't put up much of a fight. It's not like they could though, so she couldn't put up much of a fit. The water tribe was scared of the Fire Nation anyways.

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**I promise the rest of the story won't be in third person. It bugs me alot, but I decided to do it like this for the first chapter only. =]**

**R/R please. =]**

**-Kaye**


	2. Uncle Iroh

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender, though I do own the character 'Merleawe'. I made her up, she's mine. =]**

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And finally, I could see once more as someone pulled the blindfold from my eyes. The large steel door slammed before I heard two voices mumbling to each other. It sounded vaguely like an older man talking to a soldier.

Upon looking around the room, I sighed. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. There was a decently sized bed covered in red sheets, a fire nation symbol hanging above it on the wall. There were a few torches for a light source, along with a dresser, and what looked to be another door. There were no windows, and it didn't seem that waterbending my way out would be easy. I'd have to use airbending eventually. Maybe if I could get one of those people to open the do-

**"**Why hello there young man.**"** I flung myself to face the door, taking a fighting stance almost instantaneously. It was the older man that I thought was outside of the door. How did he get in here without me even hearing him? He began chuckling for some reason.

**"**W-what do you want?**"** My voice definitely cracked as I spoke. Well what did everyone expect, I was scared out of my mind! How did I know that I was going to be some freaky Avatar, end up being captured and held here on this boat? The old man had a long grey beard, and not too much hair on the top of his head. He was a bit chubby, and his eyes appeared soft. He _seemed _friendly…but I couldn't be sure.

**"**I'm here to apologize for my nephew. He heard that the avatar had been reborn in the water tribe, so he went in search.**"** He looked me over. **"**I'm sorry to say that it was you whom he thought it was.**"**

So he wasn't a bad guy after all. Dropping my stance, I looked at him with what would probably be the most stupid expression on my face.** "**How long am I going to be here?**"** That was my only question towards the man at this point. I was too confused to think of anything else.

After taking a step towards me, the old man spoke, seemingly chuckling. **"**I'm not quite sure, young lad. I apologize for his behavior.**"** He put his hand on my shoulder, but I didn't like it in the least bit. Just the pure heat from his body caused me to flinch backwards, falling on my butt once more. Apparently the force was stronger than when I was thrown to the snow, because my hat had flown off my head, and landed somewhere in the corner.

**"**Wh-what!**"** That's all I could force from my throat. I was stuck on this metal ship, with no waterbending source in my tiny room, until some stuck up guy figures out what he wants to do with me!? I couldn't stand for that in the least bit! The older man stared at me in shock as I sat on the carpeted floor of the metal room. Had I done something weird?

**"**You're…a girl?**"** He said quite dumbly. Oh, that's why. Of course, my hat flew off, and my hair subsequently fell from its protection, revealing my identity.** "**We thought that the Avatar was a male!**"** He appeared quite astonished as he looked me from head to foot. I guess it made sense now; long hair, bright purple orbs that could stare even the fire lord down, and not to mention, quite the flattering figure, even at age twelve. Sure, I don't have the huge breasts that every girl would dream of. In fact, I don't have breasts at all, but I sure have the tiny waist, which should definitely give away the fact that I'm a female.

**"**No, I'm pretty girly**."** I laughed as I stood up. The old man smiled sweetly before taking my hand. He wasn't as abrupt or demanding as the one who locked me in here, he was really nice. Surprising from the fire nation.

**"**Please, if you're going to be taken seriously on the ship, please allow us to cut your hair.**"** He actually asked me, again, very surprising from what I've heard, seen, and been through from the Fire Nation. I was skeptical at first, but I slowly began to comprehend.

**"**I guess I'm not in any position to decline…**"** I was taken through the hallways, past a huge steel door, probably this 'nephew' that I've been hearing so much about, and then I was taken to the top of the ship. It seemed so big, and I could still see the small white dot that I assumed was the water tribe. I missed home already. I was already pulled, no, it was more like I was guided towards the next door. All it held was a chair and a table whose contents I couldn't see.

**"**Please take a seat.**"** The old man was really nice. He wasn't mean at all, and he was understanding from what I could tell. On the table sat a pair of scissors and a razor. He was really about to cut my hair! Well, It was nice having long hair while it lasted. Feeling him chop away at my hair actually felt relaxing. **"**Would you like to keep your sides long?**"** I nodded; I'd keep it the way that it looked when I had my hat in. The hair just before my ears would stay long, but my actual bangs would be cut to just below my eyebrows. It was pieced like it usually was, not just a straight bob cut. Nobody likes those. So now, I just looked like I did, but without the hat on. It would be much easier to hide my gender now. Nobody ever took a female seriously in the fire nation…

After that, the old man spoke in his jolly little tone. **"**Well, I guess you should know my name**."** He smiled before helping me out of the chair.** "**My name is Iroh, but you may simply call me 'Uncle'.**"** So Iroh was his name…it sounded really cool. **"**Let's get you back to your cell, my nephew must be wondering where you are.**"** Then he winked.

The 'cell' was more like a hotel room. It wasn't like I was in prison at all, but then again, it wasn't like I had done anything bad. Did I? Before I got the chance to say anything, Iroh had closed the door quite forcefully. It made me jump a little, but I soon regained my balance.

Since I figured that I was going to be here for a while, I began to rummage through the drawers in the dresser that was placed inside of the room. Apparently they planned on having me, and for a long time. Just how long was I supposed to be locked in here? Sure, I could get out easily, but then they'd be even more mad with me. You know what…I think I'll plan an escape.

I pulled out what looked to be a brownish pair of loose pants, what looked to be a red over skirt, and another little decorative shirt to go over that. It was trimmed with a gold lining, definitely pretty. After digging further, I found a loose red tank top and what looked to be battle armor from the earth kingdom. This would be nearly perfect for what I was going to do. After placing the amour over my body, and onto my newly dressed self, I hid in the space right next to the door, where nobody could see me if they walked in.

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**Will young Mel escape? Will anyone even open the door? Who knows?**

**R/R please. =]**

**-Kaye **


	3. Escape

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender. I DO, infact own the character, Merleawe. I made her up. =]**

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It had been a few days before someone had come into my room, other than to slip me something to eat, who I knew was Uncle thanks to the notes that he left me. They were all so encouraging, like it was actually going to be good 'living' in this place for the rest of my life. I felt so bad when I read each one, like my heart was being ripped out. It hurt because I knew that I was going to get out of here as soon as I could. I would change every night into something a little more comfortable to sleep in. Usually it would be the long, Fire Nation red robe with some gold trim on it. But as soon as I woke up, I'd put the same thing on every day. I swore that they gave me the wrong room because of the things that were in it, but hey. I wouldn't complain.

The being that came in was definitely male. I could tell by the way he walked and by the way he carried himself. Only one word could describe him; cocky. As the man walked into the room I put my plan into action. I would run out the door as stealthily as possible, dart down the hall, and hopefully make it out to the upper deck without being noticed.

And that's exactly what I did. When the ponytail sporting boy waltzed into the room, he had left the door open before beginning his speech about how he was going to keep me hostage; like I was actually going to stick around to hear that one out.

I made my way out the door quickly, but it wasn't too quiet. Before I cleared the door, I must have bumped into something because a loud crash was heard just as I exited. He spun around, but I was already gone. I thought I was in the clear until I saw the door to the upper deck close. As the entire hallway filled with darkness, other than the fire that was lighting part of the way, I thought that I heard footsteps behind me. It sent a few shivers through me as I turned around. Ponytail man was a few feet in front of me with what looked to be a rope in his hands. He wasn't going to tie me up again. I took in a deep breath and began to bend the air as quickly as I could. It didn't take long for me to be able to take that air and burst it behind me, making me run quick enough to scale the wall just enough to get past Ponytail.

To say the least, he wasn't pleased with me at that point. **"**Get back here you punk!**"** Oh yeah, that's right; Ponytail didn't know that I wasn't a boy. I laughed as I continued running down the hall. I probably should have paid more attention to what I was doing. Three guards appeared in front of me, but I managed to fight my way underneath of their legs, leaving the flustered Ponytail man behind. Upon looking back, I could see him gaining on me, so I picked up the pace. I could see the opening in front of me now, just a little further!

It was really scary actually, having someone chasing after you with the intent to kill. Anyone else may have just given up, but I wasn't going to be in here for as long as Uncle told me.

But the door was just a mirage and suddenly, I was cornered. Three very metal walls surrounded my back and two sides. Ponytail was coming fast, but now he was firebending…this probably wasn't the best of all things to be coming at me right now.

"Now I've got you!**" **He yelled before he grabbed both of my arms. He was strong, but he was sweating, and so was I. Smirking, I twisted my wrists a few times, slowly making a pushing and pulling pattern, focusing on the beads of sweat now coming off of both of us because of the fire. Very soon, I had a water whip just ready to use. Surprised, Ponytail backed up, letting go of my arms and backing into a fighting stance. The whip hit him three times, on either side of his face, then into his chest. Thank goodness that it hit him hard enough to actually knock the beast down. I crawled up the ladder to my left, only to be greeted by the guard above. Why hadn't I thought of that before I went up?! It's not like I had time to anymore, because Ponytail was back and grabbing onto my ankle, pulling me down while the guard dropped something heavy onto my head.

The last thing I remember was being pulled off of the ladder to the ground, Ponytail cursing at me for running, and being picked up.

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**I'm sorry that this was such a short chapter, but it was longer than the first one. **

**I've always wanted to give Zuko the name 'Ponytail', it made me laugh.**

**R/R please. =D**

**-Kaye**


	4. Island

** Hello everyone. I'm actually working on a very vamped up next chapter that goes into Merleawe's past.** **I actually got the idea from Godspeed, so I thank you very much for all of your ideas. I'm going to be going into a bit better description of her past, like the waterbending masters and such. **

**And to Godspeed: I really didn't want to have to restart the whole story, but that's due to two things; the fact that school starts TOMORROW, and that I have too many classes to actually get a good part in. But, I thank you so much for all of your polishing ideas.**

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender. I DO own Merelawe. I made her up. **

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I was awoken to a fire in my face, nearly singing the bottom of my bangs. **"**What the-!?**"** A hand was clamped over my mouth after my little outburst. It was Ponytail! Now that I could get a good look at him, which I wasn't really pleased with anyways, I looked him over. His skin was pale, kind of like mine, and one of his eyes had a nasty scar on it. **"**What happened to your face?!**"** Had I done that? Even if I did, it looked funny. I giggled, but I was soon slapped in the back of the head by the person behind me.

"You think you could escape that easily. You have another thing coming at you, Avatar.**"** He circled the space that I was sitting in. My wrists were tied together along with my ankles. It felt just like I was freshly captured, but I for one, was full of energy. I could probably take these guys if I could just get my wrists free…**"**Well, you were quite mistaken.**" **And even though I was trying to get untied, Ponytail kept going on and on about how this little ship was inescapable. I didn't believe a word of it.

"Prince Zuko,**" **Purple hues lit up as Iroh walked into the room. He was the nicest person on the whole ship. **"**Please, stop harassing the young Avatar.**"** He smiled down at me with his cheeky grin. For an old fat guy, he was oddly welcoming. **"**May I ask your name?**"** I nodded my head, trying to hide the smile on my face. He was just so happy, it was like a disease.

"Melle.**" **Of course, he probably knew that I was lying. He was the only one on board that knew that I was a female. Iroh only smiled at me once more before turning to Ponyt-Zuko.

"You should respect the Avatar Zuko.**" **He placed his old hands onto the teenager's shoulders. **"**He's definitely a keeper.**" **Turning back to me, Iroh flashed a secret smile in my direction then left the room.

"Untie his ankles." The scarred teenager looked me straight in the eyes, almost like a threat as the guard untied my ankles, allowing me to move them about.

As soon as the guard walked towards Zuko, I began to spin my forefinger in a circular motion, creating a small wind tunnel. As soon as I could fight the urge to smirk, I got the second tunnel done and the ropes around my wrists snapped off. It took a minute before the guard looked around my back and saw that I was untied. At that point, I couldn't help but smirk as I brought my hands to my sides, like a magician who had just done a card trick.

Then everything happened so fast…the guard tried to grab me by my shoulders, but he was too slow. In one quick motion, I flipped myself to the air, landing a decent kick to the soldier's jaw. The look on Zuko's face was a picture of perfect shock, anger, and a hint of jealousy. Though, he soon became enraged at me and ran for me once more. I could feel the rush of the air hitting my face as I reached the top deck. It was night time, so the smirk grew into a grin. Upon Zuko's arrival to the deck, all I did was point to the sky nonchalantly. It was a full moon already, which made me question how long I'd been unconscious.

A horrific expression was painted onto the eyes of the firebender. Not only were his powers weakened at night, but mine were much stronger. Plus, the moon was full. Bingo. Waterbending would be at its strongest right now.

With the push and pull of my body, along with the raise of my arms, a wall of water rose above the deck of the giant steel battleship. Zuko's horrified expression only grew, along with my smirk. As I swatted my hand down, like I was shooing away a glowing fly, the wave came crashing down onto the ship. All Zuko could do was attempt to jump towards me, but he came down with the water.

Before the water completely dried out, I turned it to ice with a quick breath. By what I could tell, there was a small ice cave relatively close by. I could probably survive there for a while, until I figured out something else. Fishing would be my main food source, and odds were, I could start a relatively large fire.

The ship was a little too eerie for my liking. Nobody was around, and it was practically waterlogged. One…two…three doors down to the left was where I had been staying. I rummaged through the drawers of the dresser before finding a sack, a water tribe winter parka, probably stolen but it would do, and a pair of worn boots. I also found a pair of gloves, though the ring finger was missing in the right one, they'd have to do. I grabbed the clothes that I had worn before and stuffed them into the sack before slipping on a pair of white pants on underneath of the parka. I shoved my feet into the boots before I left the room for what would hopefully be the last time.

Though it was slightly painful to witness, Zuko stood from his melted spot on the deck. Damn those firebenders. Even from a distance, I could see that his eyes showed agony. I almost felt bad for him…but he wouldn't be getting help from me right now. I heard humming before I started my little bridge to the island. It took a minute, but I slowly looked over my shoulder to see Iroh walking with his hands behind his back. All he did was look from me, to the frozen boat, and then he shook his head as he took in a breath. I'm glad I got to running before the fire breath was able to catch up to me. All it really did was melt the path, making it almost impossible for him to follow behind.

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**That's the end of chapter 4. I'm working on the next chapter already, and I've already written the rough drafts of the next two and a half chapters after that. **

**R/R **

**-Kaye**


	5. The First Night

**This is the first chapter that gives a glimpse into Merleawe's past. I hope you like it. =]**

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender. I DO own Merelawe. I made her up.**

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The first night was probably the hardest of that entire stay. I managed to get to the cave before trying to fall asleep, but the darkness never came to me. At this point, it didn't matter to me that I was freezing cold, or that the pathetic fire was going out. I needed to sleep or I wouldn't be able to function correctly in the morning. It was a pathetic excuse, but it was halfway true.

Before I reached two thousand three hundred Rabaroo's, I was asleep. Barely, but I was out. The dream that I had that night didn't exactly sit with me correctly. It was weird because with the way that I remembered it, I was almost too happy for words, but this dream was crazy, and scary.

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_It was one of the village waterbending masters who had pulled me aside before I went to do my daily chores. He looked pretty upset and I couldn't figure out why…_

"_Merleawe, please come with me.__**"**__ His grey hair hung in his face as I grabbed his hand for him to lead me to where I had to go. I was just a scared little eleven year old. What could I have done wrong!? He took me inside of one of the many houses and had me sit down onto the carpets by a pot of water. There were three other elderly people there also. _

"_Princess Merleawe, please listen carefully.__**"**__ The skinniest one was wearing old blue robes, and his hair was tied up into a ponytail. __**"**__Do you remember these dolls?__**"**__ He brought a straw basket and placed it in front of me. Upon opening it, I smiled and nodded. I took out one of the dolls that it held, it had black hair and yellow eyes. It was wearing red garments and sandals. _

"_These were my toys when I was a baby!__**"**__ I giggled as I held it close to my chest. __**"**__Why?__**"**__ I stared up at the men who returned my gaze._

"_These are the toys representing the four elements.__**" **__The chubby one started to say.__** "**__Water, Earth, Fire, and Air.__**" **__The older man smiled before placing a hand on my shoulder. "You, young one." He looked me directly in the eye. __**"**__You are the Avatar.__**" **_

"_Wait!__**"**__ I cried out. __**"**__What do a few dolls have to do with anything?!__**" **__I frowned before standing up, still clutching onto the fire nation doll. _

"_We've seen you waterbend, and we've gotten a master for you, in spite of his wishes to never teach a female. You are indeed lucky.__**"**__ I still didn't understand. I shook my head. _

"_So I can move a few rocks, and I've only melted the show hut once! I was angry! I'm sorry! But does that really imply that I'm the Avatar!?__**" **__The monks nodded. _

* * *

And that's when I woke up the next morning. It was going to be a long day…

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**I'm sorry that this chapter was painfully short, but i wanted to get a few things regarding her past out in the open. **

**R/R Thank you for reading. =D**

**-Kaye**


	6. The Boat People

**I'm so happy that the people that are reading this story made it this far. =D Thank you all so much!**

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender. I DO own Merleawe. I made her up. **

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It had been a long three days since I arrived on the glacier. I couldn't complain too much though. There was so much fish; I could survive off of it for a while. With the help of waterbending on the snow, I constructed quite the roomy igloo. It could probably hold two people snugly. It was almost perfect, other than the fact that it took forever to find things to burn, and even then, it was hard to start it.

That night wasn't too fun in my eyes. It was extremely cold, and no matter how tight I pulled the fur trimmed parka to my body, the chills just wouldn't go away. The full moon was already past, but I still dared to step outside into the bitter cold, the snow matching the color in my hair only due to the reflection of the moon. If I wasn't wearing a jacket, it may have camouflaged me. But then again, what would I have to hide from?

But the moon brightened something floating in the water as well. It was pretty far in out in the ocean. It was probably just another block of ice, nothing too interesting.

I went back to the small snow home and sat down, but it didn't last too long. I soon fell asleep.

When I went fishing the next morning, I decided to take a closer look at what was in the water. It was when I was at the edge of the iceberg that I got a good look at the object floating in the ocean. It looked like a small, makeshift boat. I could only see one, dark red blob In the middle of it. My hospitality side quickly took over as I used the water to pull the boat towards me. I gasped when I actually got a good look at who was inside of the boat.

I could remember the choppy gray beard of Uncle Iroh anywhere. He was hovering over a body that didn't seem to be moving too much, other than the rapid shallow jerks of its chest.

**"**Avatar Melle,**" **He looked up at me with those eyes of his. **"**…please, help my nephew.**" **When those amber eyes met mine, I couldn't peel them away to look the other direction. A pain welled up in my fur covered chest when I looked into them.

I had a pretty tough choice ahead of me. Do I save the life of the person who tried, and succeeded in kidnapping me and possibly risk the chance of him doing it again, or do I let him die, and feel the lifelong regret of watching someone pass? Rubbing my temples, my face scrunched together in a frown.

**"**Fine…**" **I gave in, but this way, the two of them would owe me big time for saving this boy. The look in Irohs eye gleamed when I looked past him to the body in the boat. I extended a gloved hand to the older man who took it carefully. He was cold, so I helped him to the igloo for some minor protection.

Looking at the seemingly lifeless body in the boat made me cringe a little. Fire Nation people didn't know how to survive in arctic weather apparently. Luckily for her, she grew up like this so she knew how to get by. Zuko looked so weak and helpless, his lips were tinged a blue color and his body was shaking. How long had the two of them been floating? I lifted the body onto my back like I was giving him a piggyback ride, and then started my walk to the igloo where Iroh was. I was greeted with a smile upon my arrival to the small structure.

Covering my hands with the snow and slowly melting it into water; I place my one hand onto Zuko's head, and the other onto his chest. Before long, his lips regained their normal color, and he stopped shaking. Both me and Iroh looked pleased when he mumbled something. Pulling the oversized parka from my head the old man looked at me with a confused look. A bit of fur got caught on my sleeveless top, but I didn't care right now. I raised Zuko's arms over his head, and slowly worked the parka over his body and though the sleeves. After pulling the hood to his black haired head I stood up.

**"**Aren't you cold?**"** Iroh stopped be before I walked from the igloo but I pulled away from his grip. The brown shorts were made of a heavy material, so they were pretty comfortable for this weather, plus they fell to my knees, so they weren't too short. I also was wearing a light blue sleeveless tunic like dress underneath of a darker blue half jacket that reached to my mid thigh. I was wearing layers, though they may have not been too efficient. Sure, nothing had sleeves, but again, I was used to the cold, and apparently these people weren't.

After looking myself over I just walked out of the hut with a simple **"**I'm fine.**" **I headed towards the cave that I spent the first night in.

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**I actually wasn't too sure on how to end this chapter, but i came through after talking to all of my friends about it.**

**R/R Please? Thanks for reading!**

**-Kaye**


	7. Deals

**Hey everyone! I'm happy to say that I'm going to try to post two or three chapters per week, maybe even more. But, with school starting, I'm not making any promises. **

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender. I DO own Merleawe. **

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The cave was colder than I remembered it to be from the first night. Then again…I wasn't exactly wearing the best of clothing for being on a glacier. I brought my knees to my undeveloped chest and wrapped my arms around them before resting my head on my knees and closing my eyes.

* * *

_I remember it like it was yesterday; my first waterbending lesson with the tribe's best teacher. What the village elders didn't know was that my master wasn't too fond of me already. _

"_Do it again!__**"**__ He practically breathed fire down my throat as I performed the water whip for the forty eighth time this afternoon. Quite frankly, I was getting tired of it already. _

"_I have the water whip down Master. Please teach me the next segment.__**"**__ Though my voice projected respect for him, it also showed a hint of persuasion. _

"_No! Youre only a girl, a child nonetheless. You're only getting this right because of sheer luck!__**"**__ Sure, I knew that the village was sexist…but I was the avatar for the Fire Lord's sake! I had to master waterbending at all costs! _

"_Please Master!__**"**__ I fell to my knees, my long white hair falling in front of my shoulders as I bowed to him. __**"**__Teach me your ways.__**"**__ I could feel his gaze soften before it intensified again. _

_It was a few weeks before my words finally kicked in, and a thief had knocked Master to the ground. The gods must have been with me that day, because I was taking my afternoon walk when I saw this. I quickly put what I had learned the previous day to the test. I focused my mind on the forces of the moon as I moved the water from my pouch and surrounded the robber with it, covering his body almost completely. I quickly froze the water by tensing my fingers. The robber didn't quite know what to do. _

"_Merleawe.__**"**__ He smiled at me as he rose from the ground. __**"**__Good job.__**" **__With that the corners of my mouth pulled themselves into a smile as Master gave me a pat on the back. _

* * *

I wasn't entirely sure how long I'd spent sitting on the ice floor, but I could happily say that I enjoyed the time alone. But the happy feeling dissipated when I heard slow, uneasy footsteps trudging in the snow behind me. I really didn't want to talk to anyone as of right now. I was still cursing at myself for letting Zuko live. Any why did I take the two of them in anyways! May the moon spirits curse my soul for being a softie towards the weak. Maybe something good would come from this whole experience. Or maybe I was just putting my hopes too high.

**"**My uncle said that you just walked out.**"** It was Zuko of course. What did _he _want, attempt to trap me again?

**"**What of it? I'm not exactly happy that you're here if you can't already tell.**"** My tone was pretty bitter for a twelve year old, but this was the person who tried to capture me. I wasn't going to just up and forgive him.

**"**Well, he was worried about you. Can I sit with you?**"** He actually sounded like he was telling the truth. I turned around to look at him. His arms were hugged against his parka covered body, and his legs looked like he was shaking. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

**"**If you can make it over here without breaking down, then yes.**"** He looked at me with those piercing yellow eyes showing a tinge of disbelief. Zuko walked towards me at a slow, but halfway even pace.

**"**Aren't you cold?**"** He sat with his elbows resting on his knees, like he was actually welcome here.

**"**Not really…**"** I looked at my clothing once more. Sure, my tops were sleeveless, but I was used to the cold. My mind was at least, because as soon as I denied being chilly, my body began to shake.

**"**Well, we've got quite the inexperienced lying little boy, don't we?**"** Zuko actually laughed when I have him a dumb look. He was seriously convinced that I was a guy! It was probably for the better though. From what I went through with Master, girls weren't too important in the world.

**"**Yeah…**"** I must have zoned out again because I didn't remember Zuko wrapping something around my shoulders. **"**Oh…thanks.**"** He looked so sad, and I almost wanted to know why.

It was another hour before either of us said anything. **"**So I have a proposal.**"** Zuko turned his head towards me. **"**If you and your uncle help me maintain a livable area, I won't kill you with the ground you sleep on.**"** I smirked and extended my hand for him to take. Zuko's lips curved upwards.

**"**Deal.**"** Then he took my small, freezing hand to shake.

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**Aw, preteen Zuko was a pervert. I actually just intended this chapter to be somewat of a filler, but I guess it ties into the story as a whole, Zuko finding out about Merleawe's gender and all.**

**R/R pleaseee.**

**Thank you!**

**-Kaye**


	8. Gender

**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading my fanfiction! I really appreciate it.**

**I do NOT own Avatar, the Last Airbender. I DO own Merleawe.**

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I awoke pretty early the morning after Zuko and I made our deals. I need to bathe pretty badly after being here for so long. I clutched my parka with my left hand as I walked from my sleeping spot; Zuko gave it back to me as we walked back to the snow home.

The morning was much nicer than the dead of night. The winds were much more friendly on my pale face, compared to the blistering coldness of the arctic nights. Zuko and Uncle were still asleep when I left. They both were pretty smooth sleepers if they didn't have to turn over, or if they weren't snoring.

The hot spot spring felt amazing on my skin as I entered it. I left my clothes underneath of a rock so that they wouldn't be blown away if a gust of wind picked up. The smile on my face only grew as I stepped further into the water. It was pleasantly warm, soothing even. I stayed in there until I thought it was time to go under.

Hot water filled the the imprint of my face as I plunged into the small hole. My white hair looked blue with the way that the water was colored. I could tell that it had grown just a little bit since Uncle cut it.

Before I resurfaced, I took one last glance at the underwater world. **"**Ahh…**"** I sighed as the cold air greeted my cheeks.

"Melle?**"** Purple hues grew as I stared at the Fire Nation prince, who was staring back at me…and my body. **"**You're a girl?**"** He repeated himself twice after that, but was drowned out due to my shrieking. Even with him being a thirteen year old…this was awkward.

"Holy hog-monkeys!**"** I screamed into his face. **"**Turn around right now!**"** And he did so almost immediately. This gave me time to hop out and redress, pulling the hood over my wet hair. I cleared my throat, signaling that I was about to speak. **"**What are you doing up so early?**"** I questioned as if nothing had happened.

**"**I was wondering where you were! Now…_what_?**"** he was referring to my gender bending. Haha…genderbending…

**"**So I'm a girl. What's wrong with that?**"** I began walking back to the snow home again. **"**Nothing special…right?**"** he stopped me before I could get too far.

**"**Why didn't you tell me you were a girl?**"**

**"**You never asked.**"**

**"**Well why did you cut your hair?**"**

**"**It was too long.**"**

**"**Why did you dress like a boy?**"**

**"**Long story.**"**

**"**I have time.**"** He was a nosy little bison booger, wasn't he? Well, I guessed it couldn't hurt to tell him a little bit.

**"**The water tribe always taught me that girls are only good for household chores like cleaning and cooking. The only waterbending that we were taught was healing. We never learned combat waterbending.**"** I looked at him and he was still paying attention, but that darned mouth of his opened.

**"**What about what you did back there, on my ship!?**"** He blurted out before I could continue.

**"**Relax, I'm getting to that.**"** I acted like I was 'shooing' him away. **"**Well, I was confronted by the elders and they went into this long explanation on how I was the Avatar, and they explained how they practically begged for someone to teach me. They said that the only reason that they taught me was because I was the reincarnation or something, of another man.**"** I sighed and then started again. **"**So I thought that the other nations believed girls to be just as useless.**"** It was Zuko's turn to speak again.

**"**Well, that certainly is wrong. My sister is very high in the ranks in the Fire Nation.**"** He moved some of his long hair from his face before going on. Apparently he let it down so that he could keep warm or something. **"**I'd only think that you were softer than a male.**"** With this comment, the corners of my mouth pulled themselves into a frown. My wrist flicked downward, making Zuko flinch.

**"**Just kidding.**"** I laughed as I walked off. It was so easy to mess with him when he was on my turf. **"**Let's get back to um…camp.**"**

**"**Actually, let's go fishing first. Uncle Iroh eats a lot.**"** The embarrassed look on his face said it all for him. I laughed before starting towards a stick.

**"**Let's make you a spear first, then we'll go fishing.**"**

After shaving the end of a stick, Zuko and I were off on the edge of the iceberg. I had about nine fish on my side but Zuko had two, maybe three with him. He glanced over at me a few times as I used waterbending to catch the fish.

**"**Bingo!**"** I caught three in that last shot. At an eye's glance, it looked like there was enough food now. I hoped…

The amount was nearly perfect. We had half a fish left over for someone to snack on later that day. I'd remember that for the next time that we went fishing.

Upon walking from the small home to dispose of the bones, I didn't believe what I saw.

"Zuko!**"** I ran back to the little house as fast as my legs would carry me. **"**Zuko! Uncle! Come look! There's a ship out there!**"** I shook him by his shoulders. **"**A Fire Navy ship!!**"**

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**Well, that's it for chapter eight! I hope you all enjoyed it up until this point. **

**R/R please. =]**

**-Kaye**


	9. The Fire Lord

**Hey everybody! I'm sorry that this chapter is late (according to my internal clock), but it's finally up! I'm sorry. **

**I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender. I DO own Merleawe.**

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The huge ship wasn't too far out, but it was still too far away for Zuko's liking. His eyes lit up when he saw the giant steel structure. He bolted towards the igloo to get Uncle Iroh as soon as he saw it.

"That's my ship!" He looked like a first time waterbender finally getting the water whip right. Even I'll admit, the first few tries were really hard, but after a while I got the hang of it. "Uncle! We can get out of this frozen wasteland!"

Then there was me, a small twelve year old girl who actually liked it here. With my arms crossed, I began to speak. "That's _my _frozen wasteland you're talking about. Quite frankly, I like it here. It's nice." I shivered as the wind blew the hood from my still damp hair; well it felt damn, but it might have just been really cold. Uncle Iroh turned to Zuko and whispered something to him. Zuko then turned to me with a stern face.

"Melle, pl-"

"Merleawe." I corrected my name before he went on.

"Sorry. _Merleawe_, please come with us to see my father." Since when did he ask me anything?

"What's in it for me? Why should I do what you want, hm?" This is where Uncle Iroh stepped in front of Zuko to talk to him.

"If you would kindly come with us, we'll make sure to ask the Fire Lord to spare your life, if he believes that you're truly the Avatar." He then bent at the waist in a deep, low bow. Looking over to Zuko, I saw him do the same. They were serious.

"And if he says no to let me live? Better yet; what if the Fire Lord doesn't think I'm the avatar? What happens then?" Zuko looked up.

"Then we bring you home." Home. That word rang in my head over and over. I'd be home again? That would be amazing. What if the two of them were lying, and this was all just some hoax to get me to come with them…I'd take the risk. Home sounded like a nice place to be. I walked to the edge of the glacier, past the two bowing idiots. I began to yank the waves towards the glacier, bringing the ship with me.

What would have been a few hours, quickly turned into a few minutes and the ship was ashore, but the small house was destroyed. I didn't stop the ship in time.

"Thank you so much, Princess Merleawe." Uncle Iroh smiled at me when he walked onto the plank, leaving Zuko to help me up to the ship.

* * *

Zuko had the servants dress me in a fine Fire Nation gown. I really didn't expect this, but I guess it was only because I'd be seeing his father today. It took us about a week to get back to the Fire Nation capital. The dress was a dark red color that fell to the floor. The small overcoat that gave me some sleevage hung at about where my mid thigh would be. It looked nice, very nice. I almost liked it better than the robes that the Water Tribe dressed me in.

"Merleawe, are you ready?" It was Uncle Iroh who was at my door. I'm not sure how it became 'my' door, but it had. I nodded and was then guided to what most would call the 'War Room'. Zuko was up on what appeared to be a separate 'stage' beside his father, and a female, who I assumed to be his sister or something of the sort. There were what looked like soldiers, admirals, and generals sitting at a short, but wide uplifting of the ground that seemed to have a map of the world on it.

"Fire Lord Ozai, in a surprisingly small time span, I have managed to capture the Avatar." He then gestured to my presence who was being guided into the room by Uncle Iroh. "Her name is Merleawe, and we found her in the Northern Water Tribe."

The Fire Lord looked me over as Uncle helped me onto the table. The generals gave me a sour look, but I brushed it off, holding my head high. I was a princess of the water tribe, even though I was in enemy territory. Fire Lord Ozai then shook his head and left Zuko to leave the meeting. "That is not the avatar. The true avatar is the last remaining Air Nomad." And then, the Fire Lord was gone.

"But father!" Zuko shouted against him as he stood up.

"You have two hours to leave this Nation, or you will be under arrest." It was one of the people sitting at the table. Zuko just walked down from the 'stage' grabbed my arm, and left the room with me.

I didn't really know what to say after that. Part of me told me that I should help Zuko find this…other person. The other part of me told me that I should just go home. But, I didn't really see any harm in helping him…maybe it would be a good thing. I decided for that.

"Hey, Zuzu." I smiled up at the teenager. "I'll help you find this other person, but let's go. You don't want to get arrested, do you?"

We left exactly two hours from the admiral's warning time. We were gifted with clothes for all of us, and a new ship with new men on board. Zuko seemed quite disappointed when we embarked, but his sour attitude melted away just like snow.

We set a path for the southern air temple.

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**I'm setting a warning in advance. This school year, my classes are HARD. **

**I doubt I'll be doing more than two or three chapters MAX per week. I'll be lucky if i can get two out per week.**

**I'm really sorry.**

**Thanks for reading though!**

**R/R**

**-Kaye**


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